Fashionably Fairfield by Nicole Funaro

Thanksgiving is all about expressing our gratitude for the people and things that we love most — and of course, for the sizable Thanksgiving dinner that we will likely eat. Beyond the food, the family and the friends that we are thankful for, there is also the increasing inclusivity in the fashion industry that we have to be thankful for. 2016 was a year of increased diversity and body positivity for the fashion industry, and that’s something that we can all be thankful for. While there is still more work to do, the following initiatives from 2016 will hopefully usher in a new era in the fashion industry.

Good American by Khloe Kardashian and Emma Grede: One of the many brands launched this year with a focus on size inclusivity, Good American is a line of denim that offers sizes ranging from 0 to 24, created by reality star Khloe Kardashian and Emma Grede, CEO of ITB Worldwide, a company representing the interests of different brands and entertainment companies. In addition to working with American manufacturers, Good American said that the brand was born out of a need to cater fashion to women’s varying body types, instead of having women change themselves to fit into clothes. “We believe everybody deserves to be shown off,” Grede said of Good American, according to their website. “Fashion should be made to fit women, not the other way around.”

Diversity increases in runway shows: The Fashion Spot’s biannual diversity report released in October concluded after an analysis of nearly 300 fashion shows and almost 4,000 model appearances that the Spring 2017 fashion season was the most inclusive thus far. Comparing the diversity in fashion shows in New York, Paris and Milan, ELLEmagazine said that the report found that New York was the most diverse in terms of age, size, race and inclusion of transgender models, with eight of the 10 models cast overall walking in New York fashion shows. The most diverse fashion show was Yeezy, with 97 percent of the models showing off the line’s forthcoming styles being models of color. While designer Christian Siriano employed five plus size models in his Spring 2017 show, the report also showed increases in older models and transgender models on the runway.

IMG launches ‘Brawn’: Earlier in 2016, Women’s Wear Daily reported that IMG Models — a major international modeling company — announced the launch of their new plus-size men’s division, called “Brawn.” Having a goal of extending body diversity into men’s fashion, President of IMG Models Ivan Bart told WWD that Brawn seeks to make it easier for big and tall men to be included in the fashion world — something that he even feels excluded from at times. “I consider myself a beefy, stocky kind of guy or whatever buzzword you want to use. I’m in the fashion business and I’m required to dress fashionably, but yet I have size issues,” Bart told the publication. “It becomes defeating when I don’t consider myself morbidly obese, but I go to certain stores they don’t have my size.” Brawn’s first model, Zach Miko, is the face of this new movement, already starring in campaigns for Levi’s and Old Navy, according to Yahoo Style.

As the fashion industry slowly expands to represent the reality of our population, body inclusivity and increased diversity are both things to be thankful for this year. After all, clothing isn’t one-size-fits-all and neither should be the industry’s representation of beauty.